Part of a Family
by GWP4ever
Summary: Continues right before epilouge, after Dumbledore's office. Continues through Harry and Ginny's wedding. Sequel coming...
1. Chapter 1

"So, what now?" Ron asked, his hand still entwined with Hermione's.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking down the stairs from Dumbledore's office.

"I'm going up to the common room." Harry only had one thing left to do and could not contain his smile as he thought of what awaited him.

Sensing what he wanted, Hermione said, "We'll go downstairs, and make sure nobody comes up."

Smiling, as he watched his two best friends walk down the corridor, he turned and headed for the Fat Lady, the portrait that guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. When he finally walked through the portrait hole, his heart jumped into his throat. The very person he was looking for was sitting on the couch staring anxiously into the fire, her tousled red hair falling in front of her pale and delicately freckled face. She didn't hear him come in and was startled when he sat down next to her.

"Hey, Gin." Harry said hesitantly.

She turned to look at him slowly, her golden-brown eyes brimming with tears and slapped him hard on the cheek before collapsing onto his chest and allowing herself to be engulfed by his strong arms.

"I... thought... you were... dead!" She sobbed, clutching his shirt, taking comfort in his familiar smell. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

"I will never leave you again. Will you have me back?"

Composing herself, she looked up into his emerald eyes, "I thought I had lost you forever. I have never been more scared in my life. All I want is you."

Harry couldn't control his sudden, overwhelming desire; he leaned his head down, and their lips connected. In that one kiss, Harry felt everything that had happened wash away. He was happy, he was content, and nothing was going to stop them from having a future together.

"I want to be with you forever, Gin. I have missed you so much- I just didn't feel complete. But now that I can hold you in my arms again, I finally feel whole. You are the only one for me, Gin?"

For a moment, Harry was speechless, completely in awe of her beauty. Her gorgeous long hair was cascading over her shoulders, and all he wanted to do was run his fingers through its softness. Her eyes were dry now, but he reached up to wipe away a stray tear away. She took his roughened hand in hers, and pulled it to her heart.

"Yes?" she said, looking up at him.

"Marry Me?" He hadn't planned on asking her, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew it was the right thing.

Tears welled up in her eyes again. She dropped his hand and leaned in to kiss him. He immediately pulled her closer to him, running his hands up and down her back. She lifted her hands and tangled her fingers in his unruly hair, pulling his face closer to hers. Harry didn't want to stop. He was perfectly happy to spend the rest of his life kissing her. When the need for oxygen became overpowering, he very slowly and reluctantly pulled away.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Harry whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

"Always," she said, closing her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder. Harry lay down on the sofa, and she fit in his arms perfectly, beside him. They stayed there quietly for a while, enjoying the simple pleasure of being together again. When Ginny's breathing slowed, Harry closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her hair. Happier than he could remember he too fell asleep.

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	2. Chapter 2

One year later:

Ginny and Hermione had decided to go back to Hogwarts for their 7th year, after the final battle. Ron and Harry had already begun working for the Ministry. Minister Shacklebolt thought that what they had already accomplished more than qualified them as Aurors. They just needed to take the test.

Ginny had been worried that while Harry was off traveling, he would find someone else. After receiving three to four letters a week the entire school year, she had no such qualms.

"Ginny, stop bouncing on the seat! You're driving me crazy!"

"Sorry, Hermione, but I haven't seen Harry since Christmas!"

"I haven't seen Ron since Christmas either."

"Yeah, but you're not engaged to him." Ginny said, staring out the train window absently.

Hermione's head flew up from the book she was reading, and Ginny clapped her hand to her mouth, realizing what se had said. "Oops..." she said quietly.

"You're engaged? To Harry? Since when?"

"Yes," Ginny said meekly, "He asked me when he came to find me after the battle. We just decided it would be best not to tell anyone until after I was done with school."

"You don't have a ring though."

"Well, yes I do. Harry charmed it, so that he and I are the only ones who can see it."

"Let me see!"

Ginny giggled, pointed her wand at her left hand and muttered something under her breath.

"Oh!" Hermione said, grabbing Ginny's hand, "It's gorgeous!"

"It was his mum's. We went and got it out of his vault at Gringotts."

"I still can't believe you kept this from me! I hope he doesn't mind that you told me!"

"He won't. He asked me at Christmas if I had told anyone yet. I bet he'll be impressed I made it this long! He probably already told Ron, goodness knows what they have been up to!"

As soon as the train stopped, Ginny leapt out of the compartment. She looked frantically for him until... there he was! He was looking for her too, and as soon as they locked eyes, she ran and jumped into his arms, kissing him with more passion than she ever had.

"I missed you too!" Harry said breathlessly a few minutes later, setting Ginny back on the ground.

"Get a room." Ron muttered, struggling to coerce Crookshanks into his carrier. Ginny blushed and looked around. People everywhere were staring at Harry, the "Savior of the Wizarding World".

Harry just rolled his eyes, and said, "Ron, tell your mum we will be there in an hour. We have something we need to do." With that, he grabbed Ginny's hand and Apparated to an empty field.

"What do we have to do?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to spend some time with you alone, before we have to go back to that." He pointed to the tree line behind her. She could see an oddly shaped building rising up over the trees.

"Is that-?"

"Yes, and if you want we can live here. It will be close to the Burrow, but not too close, and we can build our own house."

Ginny looked at Harry before pulling him close to her. "I love you so much, Harry! It's wonderful- How did you find it?"

"I had a lot of time on my hands without you. I missed you so much!"

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After about an hour of catching up, well, perhaps less talking than…Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand to the Burrow and made the announcement they had been waiting months to make.

"Well done, my boy!" Mr. Weasley said, " I was going to wait, but I guess now is as good a time as ever." He disappeared for a moment, and came back carrying two long black boxes. He handed one to Hermione, and one to Harry.

"My very own clock hand!" Harry said joyfully, when he opened the box. "I don't know what to say!"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Weasley." said a teary-eyed Hermione.

"Give them here, and I'll attach them." They each handed Mr. Weasley the clock hands inscribed with "Harry" and "Hermione".

Harry leaned over, and gave Ginny a quick kiss, delighted to finally be part of a family.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry and Ginny were lying in Ginny's bed at the Burrow, as they had every night that summer. Though they hadn't taken their relationship to the next level, they found that they both slept better when they shared a bed.

Harry had been staying at the Burrow since Ginny's graduation. None of the others knew that as soon as everyone was asleep, Harry crept down the stairs to Ginny's bedroom, crawled into her bed and pulled her into his arms, whereupon they both fell into a very peaceful sleep.

"Ginny!"

Ginny slowly opened her eyes. She didn't want to answer her mother. It felt way too early to leave her warm bed… or Harry for that matter. She rolled over on her side to find him looking at her with a goofy grin on his face.

"Morning, love. What are you smiling about?" Ginny asked him.

"Nothing much. I love you." he said, reaching up and running his fingers through her hair.

Ginny smiled and leaned over to kiss him. He responded very happily, pulling her on top of him, and parting her lips with his tongue. He slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt, and began rubbing circles on the lower part of her back.

"Ginny!"

Ginny rolled off of Harry, groaning. "I don't want to leave." She pouted.

"You are cute when you pout." Harry said grinning, "But if you don't go now, it is likely she will walk up the stairs to find you, and when that happens… well she will probably lock my door at night from now on."

Ginny grinned and threw the covers off the bed. "Well, we don't want that to happen, do we?"

"Hey! It's cold out there! Give me the covers back!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm going downstairs." She slipped out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry walked into the kitchen to find Ginny and her mother sitting at the kitchen table going over what appeared to be guest lists. He sat down at the table across from Ginny.

"Good morning Harry, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, standing up. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Very well, thanks." He saw Ginny hide a smirk with her hand.

"Good, good." She said, setting a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. "We are just going over the guest list. Is there anyone specific you want to send an invitation to?"

"Not really, as long as you guys and Hagrid are there, I don't really have anyone else."

"Don't worry. The Weasleys will be there. ALL of them." Ginny said with a frown.

"It isn't that many people, dear." Molly said, looking at the list again.

"250 people isn't a lot of people? Mum, Harry and I have told you, we both want a really small wedding. Neither of us has met most of these people!"

"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley. The wedding is only in a couple months, and honestly, as long as Ginny is there, I don't care who else is." Mrs. Weasley looked hurt. "I mean, I want you all there too, but I really don't want a crowd. It will be hard enough to keep the press out; without having to worry about entertaining people I don't even know."

"Well, if you really feel that way… I guess we can edit the list."

"We really do. Thanks Mum."

"Sure, sure," she said distractedly. She was now pouring over the list.

Harry caught Ginny's eye and gestured towards the window. Smiling, she stood and headed out the back door. Harry followed, and once they reached the garden, he stopped her. "I have a surprise," he told her.

"Really?" Ginny said, leaning closer.

"Really. Follow me." He took her hand and Apparated them onto the property they had picked for their house.

"What's the surprise?" she asked him, looking puzzled.

"Turn around."

Ginny gasped. "Oh, Harry! It looks great! I didn't know they were this close to being finished!"

"They will be done by the end of the month, and then we can go shopping for furniture."

"I can't wait to move in, Harry! Can we go see it?"

"Of course! It's ours, isn't it?"

Ginny took off running, and stopped when she reached the door, waiting for Harry to catch up.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Nearly a month and a half later, Harry plopped down on the sofa exhausted from an entire day of shopping. Ginny sat down next to him and curled into his side.

"Who knew shopping would be so exhausting? At least we are finally done!"

"Yes, I can't wait to move in." Ginny said, smiling.

"I was thinking, we can slowly move our stuff to the house, and then when we get back from our honeymoon, we won't have to do anything. Plus, since Hermione is insisting we follow Muggle tradition, and can't see each other the day of the wedding, I can sleep there the night before."

"That makes sense, but I don't want it to. I will miss sleeping next to you."

"I will too, but it will only be for one night, and then we won't have to sleep apart ever again."

"That is a very, very good thing." Ginny said, leaning in to kiss him.

After a whirlwind couple of weeks, Ginny couldn't believe it was finally here. Today, she would wake up a Weasley and fall asleep a Potter.

"Gin, you look… amazing," Harry said breathlessly.

"You look very dashing." Ginny said, turning toward the officiate and squeezing his hand.

Ginny was a vision in white. She and Harry stood under the flowered arch in the Burrow's garden. Ginny could hear her mum blowing her nose in the front row. Hermione was standing next to her holding her bouquet. Ron stood behind Harry, and kept checking his pocket to make sure the rings were safe. Harry was ecstatic, and you could visibly see it from the grin that appeared to be plastered to his face.

The garden of the Burrow was full of love. Ginny could feel it in the air, and Harry couldn't stop looking at her.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the bonding of Ginevra Molly Weasley and Harry James Potter."

Finally.


End file.
